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Water conservation in the landscape – the obvious stuff.

I admit, this post is not exactly exciting. It is important, though. All property owners should understand at least the basic concepts of landscape water use. The issues are multiple and varied and it is not reasonable to expect that I can smoosh it all into one thrilling, must-read post. I am sorry to see (I’ve been online for several hours at a time over a few days) that though there are TONS of websites with water saving tips, few address the multitude of issues very well.

Guess what?! In January 2010, California will require certain landscapes to be more water efficient. The state adopted ordinance AB 1881 in March and it will go into effect January 2010. Unless the governing city or county where your project is has already adopted stricter ordinances regarding water use, AB 1881 is the new rule. As of November 2009, I have not found anything in the city of Alameda or Alameda county websites that restricts water use more than AB 1881, so I am assuming for now that it is our new rule, too.

Suzanne Palmer of David Neault Associates in Temecula wrote a post back in February that outlines the history of California’s water problems and discusses both the genesis and some of the aspects of AB 1881 – no need to re-invent that wheel, she covered the issue well.

Emily Green, a columnist for the LA Times posted a bullet point list on ordinance AB 1881. Her list does an excellent job of illustrating which projects that will be affected by this ordinance, including private residences.

WUCOLS: A Guide to Estimating Irrigation Water Needs of Landscape Plantings in California. This publication is industry standard.

The Save Our Water website is a statewide public education site with lots of fun links, tips, calculators, etc for both indoor and outdoor water use including kid-friendly challenges. Of course, there is also the Bay Friendly site that covers a variety of Bay Area specific environmental topics.

Residents of the East Bay who are customers of EBMUD may benefit greatly from their Residential Landscape Rebate Program. EBMUD also published a book a few years ago that I have and love. The book illustrates better than any others I’ve seen that a water-wise landscape doesn’t have to look like a cactus garden. I like cactus gardens as much as the next guy, but I do feel that the word “xeriscape” earned a bad reputation and misunderstanding from too many gardens looking alike. Using water smart practices and appropriate plants does not necessarily dictate the style of a garden! EBMUD also has a WaterSmart Center on their website with links to rebate programs, free stuff, and even free on-site water use surveys.

I encourage all my clients to invest in a self-adjusting irrigation controller. It doesn’t cost much, can work with an existing irrigation system (we’re just talking about the controller and a weather station, here) and usually does a better job than your gardener will. That brings me to this evapotranspiration web page and the benefits of self-adjusting irrigation controllers from Urban Farmer. At the top is a link to a comparison chart for the top five brands. Urban Farmer is absolutely the go-to place for irrigation products, all the contractors I know get their supplies (and tech. support) there.

If you have read anything online, or watched the news, or read a paper in the last decade, you already know that water use and conservation is an issue in our state. Things that can save water include:

mulching

grouping plants into water-use zones, and using drought tolerant plants that are adapted to your area

switching from a typical sprinkler system to drip irrigation or sub-grade irrigation

Watering in the early am (not late at night, please!!! that actually promotes pathogens) so the plants can take up the water in time for the warm day ahead.

cleaning sidewalks and driveways with a broom instead of a hose (well, duh)

adjust your irrigation system so there is no over spray onto paved surfaces

Above, I think I’ve compiled a decent overview of the basic water issue, but I am still bugged by the correlating issues not mentioned. Please stay tuned for a future post focusing on these corresponding not-so-often discussed side-issues. They’re just as important for the sustainability and long term success of any landscape.